NARRATOR: Once upon a time there were a king and queen who wanted to have a child.

KING AND QUEEN: Ah, if only we had a child!.

NARRATOR: But they never had one. One day the queen was bathing, a frog leaped out of the water onto the land, and said to the Queen.

FROG: Your wish shall be fulfilled, before a year has gone by, you shall have a daughter.

NARRATOR: What the frog had said came true, and the queen had a little girl who was very pretty.

KING: I am so happy with my precious daughter. I want to give a great feast.

NARRATOR: The King invited not only his family and friends, but also the thirteen fairies in his kingdom. He only had twelve golden plates for them to eat out of, so one of them was not invited. The feast was held with splendor, and the fairies presented their magic gifts to the baby – one gave virtue, another beauty, a third riches, and so on with everything in the world that one can wish for. Suddenly the thirteenth came into the palace really angry.

THIRTEENTH FAIRY: The king’s daughter shall in her fifteenth birthday prick herself with a spindle, and fall down dead. Ha, ha, ha, ha.

NARRATOR: And, without saying another word, she turned around and left the room. They were all shocked, but the twelfth fairy, whose good wish still remained unspoken, came forward, and since she could not undo the evil spell, but only soften it, she said.

TWELFTH FAIRY: My Queen, it shall not be death, but a deep sleep of a hundred years, into which the princess shall fall.

KING: Listen to me all of you!. I order you to burn every spindle in the whole kingdom. Nothing will happen to my little daughter.

NARRATOR: As years passed by, the gifts of the fairies were completely fulfilled on the young girl. She was so beautiful, modest, good-natured, and wise, that everyone who saw her, loved her. One day, when she was fifteen years old, the king and queen were not at home, and the girl was left in the palace alone. She visited every place of the palace, looked into rooms, and bedrooms, and at last she came to an old tower.

PRINCESS: I have never been into that tower. I will go up and see what`s up there.

NARRATOR: She climbed up the narrow winding-staircase, and reached a little door.

PRINCESS: I wonder what`s inside that room. I will take a look.

NARRATOR: A rusty key was in the lock, and when she turned it the door sprang open, and there in a little room sat an old woman with a spindle, busily spinning her flax.

PRINCESS: Good day, old woman. What are you doing?.

OLD WOMAN: Oh, come on in, little girl. I am spinning.

PRINCESS: What sort of thing is that, that rattles round so merrily?. I want to spin too.

OLD WOMAN: Come near, child, don`t be afraid.

NARRATOR: As soon as she touched the spindle, the magic spell was fulfilled, and she pricked her finger with it, she fell down on the bed and went into a deep sleep. This sleep extended over the whole palace, including the king and the queen. After many years, a prince from another country heard an old man talking about the castle.

PRINCE: Tell me old man, is it true that a beautiful princess has been asleep for a hundred years in that castle?.

OLD MAN: It is true, your Majesty. Nobody can enter the castle. Many kings`sons have died trying to get inside.

PRINCE: But, how can that be?.

OLD MAN: There`s a thorny hedge that keeps them from entering.

PRINCE: And, do you know the name of the princess?.

OLD MAN: Her name is Briar-Rose. The King and Queen and the whole court are also asleep.

PRINCE: I am not afraid of that thorny hedge. I will go and see the beautiful Briar-Rose.

OLD MAN: I am warning you not to go. It is dangerous, and probably you will not return alive.

PRINCE: You will see old man. I will came back, and Briar Rose will come back with me.

NARRATOR: When the king’s son came near to the thorn-hedge, it was nothing but large and beautiful flowers which let him pass unhurt, then they closed again behind him like a hedge.

PRINCE: The old man was right. Everybody is sleeping, even the horses, and the pigeons, the cook and the maid. Who could be so evil to do this!.

NARRATOR: When the Prince entered the great hall, he saw by the throne, the king and queen.

PRINCE: I must keep looking for the princess. Oh, I see a small door over there, maybe she`s there.

NARRATOR: He opened the door into the little room where Briar-Rose was sleeping.

PRINCE: Oh, she`s as beautiful as everybody said. I have to kiss her!.

NARRATOR: But as soon as he kissed her, Briar-Rose opened her eyes and awoke, and looked at him quite sweetly.

PRINCESS: Oh, what happened to me. I can hardly remember… who are you?.

PRINCE: I am a Prince from a faraway country. I am so happy that you woke up from a long sleep.

PRINCESS: The last thing I remember now, is that I was talking to an old woman, then I hurt my finger with a spindle.

PRINCE: You must forget about all of that. Now you are fine and safe.

NARRATOR: Then the king and queen awoke, and the whole court, and they looked at each other in great astonishment. And everybody in the castle woke up, the horses and pigeons, the cook and the maid.

PRINCE: Oh sweet Princess, I love you. Will you marry me?.

PRINCE: Yes, I will.

NARRATORS: And Soon the marriage of the Prince and Briar-Rose was celebrated with great splendor, and they lived happy to the end of their days.

THE END

Author: The Brothers Grimm

Date Published: 1812

Jacob (1785-1863) Wilhelm (1786-1859) From the world-famous collection of German and French fairy tales compiled by the Brothers Grimm

Adapted by: K I D S I N C O

Moral: Every one of us has a love of our life somewhere if we are willing to wait for it to find us. Good conquers evil